Hey there Porn Meister!
Yep, noticed the same thing on some lists...not all by any stretch...but some.
Think the rule was originally intended to be 3 sponsor links. Then...as always seems to happen...some submitters abused things...throwing in WAY too many prominent internal links. So, the rule got expanded by some lists
Personally, I think if the internal links are non-obtrusive and tasteful...they should not be included as 'sponsor' links.
Fortunately, there are still quite a few lists who don't count tasteful filter links...cuz filtering can and does help sales
